[aww_dang]

I don't know how many recursive turtles you want.

You have a debt obligation like a utility bill. You want to pay it with your credit card, but you can't because you are over the limit. The end result is you don't spend that money. Your spending is limited, by the debt limit.

[jmckib]

Let’s say you used your credit card to spend $1000 this month. The money is spent. At the end of the month it’s time to pay back the credit card company for the $1000 you spent, but you say: sorry, my debt limit is only $600, so you default on your debt and now your credit is ruined.

That’s what the debt limit is like. Financial responsibility would be not spending the $1000 in the first place. It’s wildly irresponsible to spend the money and then decide not to pay the debt, but Republicans consistently threaten to do this because so many of their voters don’t understand what a debt limit is, mistakenly thinking it is a spending limit.